And I'm back for round two! I'm still enjoying your stories every time I read them.

8) whiskey and rum - Someone, I can't seem to imagine Hiei getting drunk, but his statement just made me giggle.
10) wedding - That was so CUTE! It played to my heartstrings since this is Hiei doing research on WEDDINGS...just for Kurama. Daaaww... It looks completely OoC, but it's so cute.
31) smirk - XD The tables have turned Hiei! This could be a lovely sequel to bonds.
43) nuance - Oh, I can taste the drama forming.
Frankly I just love any form of jealous from either person. I find it cute.

Oh geeze, why haven't I read this yet? This is great! They're all so cute. Since you asked which ones we like, then well...I'll share. :D

6) potatoes - When I read that and thought about how their possible interactions, I couldn't help but crack up and laugh. That just seems like a Kurama thing to do purposefully as revenge. And then make up later with ice cream.
7) chocolate - I just liked what that implied.
17) tears - That one just sounded so touching. It makes me wonder what would make Hiei cry too...
22) jealousy - It's usually Hiei that gets jealous in fanfics. This was refreshing and cute.
23) hands - Daaaw... Kurama made a good and really touching point.
30) star - It's cute. The end. :D
32) confusion - Hiei's confusion and ignorance is kind of cute. I wonder if Hiei even knows the concept of a kiss...or maybe he never thought Kurama would even do that to begin with.
35) bond - Now that just cracked me up. I can see Hiei trying to show dominance. XD
36) market - Oh geebers. It's cute how Hiei would do that and I find it funny that Hiei calls it corruption.
38) gift - It reminds me of you "Roses are Red" fanfic. And it's cute.
40) innocence - That's just an interesting concept.
50) supernova - I really would love Hiei trying to show Kurama that he cares by using those pick-up lines.

"#6 (Dark): Many things need sunlight to grow, but some few precious things can only be conceived in the darkness; like diamonds, their love was born from dark depths and intense pressure, and like diamonds, it was unbreakable."

I'm really glad I fell back into this fandom on accident. I'm even more glad that I stumbled back into your stories. You're incredible. You already know that though.

It's taken me over an hour just to read chapter 1 because after almost every sentence I find myself creating the story around it. I don't know how you can do vividly portray something in just one line. It's just... indescribable. I am thoroughly impressed.

As a closing thought I really can't pick just one that is my favorite. However (was it called "Tears"?) the one where Hiei cries hit me very hard because I kind of forgot about the gems. And your simple description of them and how he scrambled to pick them up - perfect. Stunning. It felt very raw and again I was very impressed that all of this emotion came through in just one sentence!

#43 (God): Kurama knew very well that Hiei's anger and derisive insults on the occasions when Kurama chose to petition Inari, god of foxes, was only veiled jealousy and hurt that he did not belong, not anywhere, not even to any god that he could pray to.

#49 (Hunger): Sometimes Hiei would sit in the tree outside Kurama's window all night, not coming in or even alerting Kurama to his presence but simply staring while the kitsune slept, hungering to be allowed just to sleep beside him, and feeling so empty that he knew nothing would ever fill him.

Two hugs in this one, because Hiei I really, /really/ needs a few hugs, here...

#27 (Metal): Hiei replaced his katana often, when the blade shattered in battle or been otherwise fatally damaged, or when it had become too dull to be sharpened to the level he required; only once did he replace it without it having sustained injury, and that was after he had been so tired and distracted in sparring practice that he had slipped and cut Kurama's arm deeply, for he couldn't bear the sense of Kurama's blood on the blade.

#28 (Forgotten): When Kurama traced the scars on Hiei's body, wanting to know where each one had come from, he was very disturbed to learn that Hiei could not remember receiving not only some of the small ones but large, searing marks that spoke of life-threatening injuries; it was only then, in his distress, that Kurama learned there were parts of Hiei's life that were quite thoroughly repressed.

#25 (Quitting): No matter how hard Kurama tried, he could never stop hoping that Hiei would come back to him, and so it was that over two years after the Makai Tournament, when Hiei quit Mukuro's service and found himself back in the hated Ningenkai, Kurama's window was still unlocked.

#43 (Sky): The sky was vast, whether here or in Ningenkai, and looking at it terrified Hiei and made him feel like he was falling, gave him vertigo because his first and most powerful memory was of looking down at it, not up-but just before he grew too dizzy a hand at his elbow steadied him, and the others never noticed how close he had come to falling.

That one literally made me hug my laptop. It's not all /that/ rare of an occurance, but I feel it deserves some mention, each time, anyway.

Numbers 3, 14, and 32 stood out for me. 32 was funny! I could totally see Hiei mistake kissing for biting! That had me laughing. 3 was kind of sad to me, to think of how young and vulnerable Hiei would seem to Kurama. 14 was sweet, naughty, and interesting at the same time. I liked all of them but those stood out the most in this chapter!

#3 (Vendor): Hiei's eyebrows shot nearly into his hairline when he witnessed Kurama actually purchasing a trinket from a vendor in a Makai marketplace; he wondered if it was just for variety, as Kurama'd been shamelessly lifting items right and left all day, but later (without being asked) Kurama explained that the item was for Shiori, and so he didn't feel right stealing it.

#4 (Blade): "You should really learn not to jump until you know what you're getting into," Kurama sighed, helping Hiei break in the umpteenth replacement for a shattered katana blade; "But you never jump until you're positive what you're getting into, so we're evenly balanced this way," Hiei replied, without pausing in his practice.

#8 (Deception): Kurama calmly told Hiei that Koenma's deal extended to both of them or neither of them, knowing that even in the wake of Kurama's recent betrayal Hiei's honor would not permit him to jail Kurama out of spite, and he would be forced to take the deal; also knowing that he would never be able to tell Hiei the truth, that Kurama could have walked out of there with or without him, and hating the pattern of deception that was forming between them.

#12 (Axis): Everyone, knowing or unknowing, had their own private axis which they were oriented around, a central belief that all other facts must be compliant to, and the destruction of such an axis was inevitably devastating; Hiei's axis had been demolished so many times in childhood that he quickly came to rely on the belief that no one and nothing could really touch him, but even that belief was eventually broken in the hands of a red-haired fox.

#32 (Analyze): It was Kurama's habit to analyze anything he came across, so it was no surprise when he was able to come up with a working understanding of Hiei's personality within a very short time; what was astounding was later, when Hiei calmly returned that understanding, pegging Kurama's guilt and anger and battlelust for what they were with an ease that left the fox, used to being considered inscrutable, desperately intrigued.

#33 (Equivalence): The reason Kurama got along with Hiei so well was that it hadn't taken him long to learn to translate: That was stupid was the equivalent of I was scared for you, I hate that meant I don't understand that, and You look like a girl was a simple You're beautiful.

#34 (Arbitrary): Kurama's decisions were never arbitrary, no matter what lesser minds might think of them; the decision to give or withhold mercy was always calculated, the choice to trust or distrust supportable, the offering or refusing of friendship earned-and though Hiei often disagreed with Kurama's decisions, when he realized how much went into them he felt the honor of being the recipient of mercy, trust, and friendship all the more keenly.

#35 (Oranges): "Show off," Kurama muttered, just exactly loud enough for Hiei to hear him; "I'm bored," Hiei replied with a shrug, tossing another orange into the air and, using his katana, divesting it of its peel without piercing the fruit.

#42 (Shopping): "What on earth makes you think I would have the slightest interest in going shopping with you?" Hiei asked disparagingly; "Because for me, shopping involves staking out the site beforehand and exiting rapidly while occasionally forgetting to pay for the purchase," Kurama replied with a straight face, and Hiei was suddenly much more interested.

#43 (Tail): Kurama's teasing of Hiei was subtle, gleeful, and constant; Hiei's retaliation was less frequent but also rather more pointed, and Kurama would have rather died than admit part of his reluctance to take his Youko form had to do with Hiei's penchant for pulling his tail.